The DPP DOU council has elected to suspect Latios in the tier after the results of the oldgen DOU Survey, where almost 2/3 of respondents cited Latios as being suspect-worthy.
Latios has warped the tier with its presence, as its powerful Choice Specs Draco Meteor is capable of 2HKOing even resists like Metagross without having to switch. In terms of metagame relevant Pokemon, your only hopes of outspeeding Choice Specs Latios are Raikou and Choice Scarf users like Tyranitar, Rotom, Heracross... or your own Latios. Indeed, Latios can also run Choice Scarf extremely viably to get the jump on the mirror and those would-be speed creeping checks. Its diverse pool of coverage options including Thunderbolt, Grass Knot, Hidden Power Ground, Hidden Power Fire, as well as moves like Trick and Calm Mind have also given Latios a layer of customization and depth that no Pokemon in the tier can rival.
The main forms of Latios counterplay are trying to Paralyze it with Cresselia or Zapdos, Pursuitting it with Tyranitar after it has lowered its Special Attack with Draco Meteor, or forcing it to trade negatively. However, all of these are easier said than done, as Latios can be conserved for later in the game when Cresselia or Tyranitar are already in range of its Draco Meteor, and its hard to actually put yourself in a position to trade positively against a Pokemon this powerful and fast which still has an ally likely supporting it on the field or ready to take out any Pokemon that would hope to sponge a Draco Meteor. This is not to say that Latios is a Pokemon without counterplay, as there are plenty of replays from the ongoing Doubles Derby where it accomplishes only minimal damage, but to say that at its peak, it is a Pokemon that possesses a power level beyond even the tier's other staples like Tyranitar and Metagross. Latios also sits at an insane 77% usage in Derby, and when you're a Dragon type, you really want to minimize how often you're playing vs a mirror matchup.
One question that some of us have pondered to each other when talking about tiering Latios is "what if Latias turns out to be just as broken?", and the answer to that is simple: if it is so in a post-Latios metagame, it will be met with appropriate tiering action.
This thread will be open for 2 weeks for anyone to present feelings on Latios in the DPP Doubles OU tier. After the two weeks have run their course, we will conclude with a vote amongst qualified voters. The pool agreed upon by the DPP Council is as follows:
Doubles Derby DPP:
Farfromani Croven DaAwesomeDude1 laptops fespy zee bage1 Charlotte
DPP Cup Finalists:
qsns Hys
Suspect Tournament Winners:
Mizuhime
We will be running two live suspect tournaments where players can attempt to earn the right to participate in the voting process. The times for these tournaments will be posted in this thread at a later date.
Latios has warped the tier with its presence, as its powerful Choice Specs Draco Meteor is capable of 2HKOing even resists like Metagross without having to switch. In terms of metagame relevant Pokemon, your only hopes of outspeeding Choice Specs Latios are Raikou and Choice Scarf users like Tyranitar, Rotom, Heracross... or your own Latios. Indeed, Latios can also run Choice Scarf extremely viably to get the jump on the mirror and those would-be speed creeping checks. Its diverse pool of coverage options including Thunderbolt, Grass Knot, Hidden Power Ground, Hidden Power Fire, as well as moves like Trick and Calm Mind have also given Latios a layer of customization and depth that no Pokemon in the tier can rival.
The main forms of Latios counterplay are trying to Paralyze it with Cresselia or Zapdos, Pursuitting it with Tyranitar after it has lowered its Special Attack with Draco Meteor, or forcing it to trade negatively. However, all of these are easier said than done, as Latios can be conserved for later in the game when Cresselia or Tyranitar are already in range of its Draco Meteor, and its hard to actually put yourself in a position to trade positively against a Pokemon this powerful and fast which still has an ally likely supporting it on the field or ready to take out any Pokemon that would hope to sponge a Draco Meteor. This is not to say that Latios is a Pokemon without counterplay, as there are plenty of replays from the ongoing Doubles Derby where it accomplishes only minimal damage, but to say that at its peak, it is a Pokemon that possesses a power level beyond even the tier's other staples like Tyranitar and Metagross. Latios also sits at an insane 77% usage in Derby, and when you're a Dragon type, you really want to minimize how often you're playing vs a mirror matchup.
One question that some of us have pondered to each other when talking about tiering Latios is "what if Latias turns out to be just as broken?", and the answer to that is simple: if it is so in a post-Latios metagame, it will be met with appropriate tiering action.
This thread will be open for 2 weeks for anyone to present feelings on Latios in the DPP Doubles OU tier. After the two weeks have run their course, we will conclude with a vote amongst qualified voters. The pool agreed upon by the DPP Council is as follows:
Doubles Derby DPP:
Farfromani Croven DaAwesomeDude1 laptops fespy zee bage1 Charlotte
DPP Cup Finalists:
qsns Hys
Suspect Tournament Winners:
Mizuhime
We will be running two live suspect tournaments where players can attempt to earn the right to participate in the voting process. The times for these tournaments will be posted in this thread at a later date.
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